Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Here is a great list of ski tips sent to us from a listener. Sorry, they didn't sign their name

I was listening to your show yesterday am, and heard you talk about your upcoming trip to Breck. I'm a former ski instructor and wanted to give you guys some helpful tips.(if you skied before you probably already know these). MY TOP 10 THINGS TO DO/NOT DO:

#1 Make sure your ski boots fit and are some what comfortable before you leave the rental shop, uncomfortable boots lead to a crappy day of skiing, and  dry your boots the night after skiing (wet boots=cold feet the next day)

#2 Only wear 1 pair of socks while skiing, many people make the mistake of wearing 2+ pairs which cut off your circulation and lead to cold painful feet. I wear very thin socks myself.

#3 Use sunscreen and sunglasses or deal with sunburn and/or snow blindness (burned retinas). Use goggles if it is very cold or snowing.

#4 Take it easy the first day and drink a lot of water, altitude sickness gets people that first day and you can dehydrate easily at altitude (alcohol make things worse). Most people acclimate after a day or so.

#5 DON"T BE THE TYPICAL TEXAS SKIER AND WEAR JEANS THAT ARE SCOTCH GUARDED! Invest in a cheap pair of ski pants at Academy or Sports Authority. You will stay warm and dry and will look better in the process.

#6 Take a lesson, and if you have the $ do a private 1-2 hr versus a class style. Any lesson is worth the $ though, and will make your trip much more fun and safe.

#7 Take it easy on your first and last run of the day (most accidents-injuries occur early or late in the day). I blew out my knee on a first run doing a jump in the terrain park 4 yrs ago, dumb decision on my part. Stretching before skiing helps too. Hot-tub (with good looking girls, of course) helps sore muscles after skiing, and is even better if it is  located outside and is snowing.

#8 If you are driving from Denver to Breck make sure and stop on the way up or down in Idaho Springs and eat at Beau Jos Pizza, best pizza anywhere and a Colorado icon.

#9 Go to the Breckenridge Brewery, good food and drink after skiing.

#10 MOST IMPORTANT....HAVE FUN SKIING!!!!!

1 comment:

Heliskiing said...

Aw, this was a really quality post. The advice as always is clear. The time and effort you have dedicated is appreciated.